Everything's coming up Rosie

It's one of those days when you wish there was a Target store here in MNL.

If they were here, I'd be there now, grabbing pieces from the Rosie Assoulin x Target collab.

Rosie Assoulin is known for her very feminine and fun aesthetic. She plays with colours, patterns, and executes them in sharply tailored pieces. And that DNA is easily seen in her Target collection.

The piece that caught my eye is this off-shoulder, button down denim dress.

It has a casual and classy silhouette, and the denim makes it easy-to-wear for every day.

Gotta find a way to get this.

Rose (gold) to the occasion

Metallic colors are usually difficult to pull. Especially the ones that are on the shiny side.

That's why when my Mom and sisters need to wear something gold or silver, my instinct is to go for the more matte and subtle versions of that hue.

But in a random shop in Cubao Expo, the exception presented itself.

It came in the form of this rose gold gown.

The colour - whilst metallic - isn't too shiny or garish. Maybe it's because of the material, but it's not blindingly shiny.

And of course, the design is so nice that you go past the colour to focus on it. The draping, the details, they all make the dress look super elegant.

We hit gold with this one.

Printed Matter: Dainty details

My penchant for botanical prints is well documented on this blog. In fact, Ate Bullet has a number of nice, botanical print clothes in her closet.

But there's always room for another one. Especially if the print is this cute.

This is a botanical print, but done in a dainty way. The prints are small and delicate, simple in its execution and colour, and spaced adequately so that you can appreciate it more.

And this dainty print is from an equally dainty dress from The Landmark.

You really can never have too many botanical print dresses. 

Dolled up denim

There are a lot of ways you can elevate denim. 

You can do it by pairing a denim item - like jeans - with a more luxe item like a silk blouse or a merino sweater. 

You can do it though accessories - like a sparkly shoe, a statement belt, or a tweed jacket.

Or you can make a dress with a lot of fashionable details that elevate it. Just like this dress:

Overall, the dress has a baby doll vibe. But it's done in a very modern way. From the cuts and seams on the bodice, to the sleeve that puffs up at the lower part, to the big neck tie that further enhances the "doll" look.

This is more than just "Denim done right," It's "Denim done wonderfully chic!"

Zimms familiar

Was at one of my haunts when a brown dress which had an embroidered, eyelet like pattern caught my eye.

The reason it caught my eye was the fact that it looked very, very, very familiar. Something it nm said" "You know this dress. You've seen in before."

After a little while, an epiphany happened and the mystery was solved.

This was the dress:

This is why it looked familiar.

It's a Zimmerman dress that passed by my feed after viewing the brand on Net-a-Porter.

And this has to be my best buy for the month.

Ikat it out

While browsing the on-line shop of Lovito (which I really shouldn't do very often), I came across this nice denim dress.

It's made of a dark wash denim, but the denim itself was light and falls beautifully. There's a lot of seaming action in front, which gives it a nice shape. But looking at it for an extended period of time, it felt like the dress could use a little something to lift it.

That's when this Ikat belt came in.

I've always been a fan of Ikat prints. And this belt was a purchase from years ago. It's been sitting in the stash for a time, and this was the perfect opportunity to bring it out.

And with that, this look is officially lifted.

Organized chaos

Whoever said that you can't mix too many prints have obviously not seen this dress.

This maxi-dress is so pretty! Despite the fact that it's covered in so many random prints, it doesn't look garish or chaotic  The prints actually work with each other to give this dress a modern and fashionable boho vibe.

See, chaos can be beautiful.

Bayo metrics

There was a time when the clothing brand Bayo was all the rage and all the girls wanted to wear clothes from this brand.

But as more international fast fashion brands rolled in, local brand, including Bayo, seem to have lost its footing. This is true in my case as well. Before, a mall trip would be incomplete without dropping by a Bayo store. But now, trips to their stores are few and far between.

Out of curiousity, I dropped by their Shangrila Mall store just to see what's inside. First to catch my attention was a sale rack, and it had this fab find hidden in between skirts and blouses.

It's a maxi dress with a unique print which turns out to be an artwork by an artist named Ella Pangilinan. It had a nice material, design and length, and price, of course. Plus it has this very chic detail.

Yup, it's an open back.

With all these going for it, the dress was suddenly in a bag, and a few days later, with Ate Bullet.

This is my sign to visit Bayo more often.

Sing Style: Take it back

Seems like cut-outs are a recurring theme in The Closet Lover's designs.

Here's the other dress that I got from the brand.

It's a khaki shirt dress made of a light, twill fabric. It looks very straightforward from the front.

But the back is open, and it has an extended part that makes the silhouette a bit more visually interesting.

Good thing I discovered this brand. They really have a lot of good stuff.

Sketchy Stories: Scrap star

Was cleaning my room one weekend and chanced upon a pile of scrap fabric.

These were fabrics that were left behind from previous projects. It included some cuts of native fabric, the "kumot," pieces of "katsa," and a small cut of chambray.

Instead of throwing out the scraps, it inspired me to sketch this.

The scraps will be part of the bottom of the skirt. The design is tiered and a bit random, to give it a mish-mash and patchwork feel.

Showed it to Ofel, and she was able to execute it exactly the way I envisioned it.

The base is a dark denim dress, and the fabric scraps added colour and fun to the skirt. The sleeveless dress has a bateau neckline and a v-shaped back.

There was so much fabric scraps and denim, that we were able to do another dress. This one had flutter sleeves and a v-neck neckline.

Who would've though that scraps could be this chic!

Printed Matter: Instant Doodles

I've been drawing since my childhood days. It's something I've carried until now. Occasionally, I'd find myself doodling on random pieces of paper. It could be a house, an animal, a paisley print - things that just pop in my head randomly.

This love for doodling is what drew me to this print.

It looked like someone gave a kid a piece of cloth and asked him to doodle anything he wanted. The result are random doodles featuring shapes, faces, even plain scribbles.

And these doodles are the centrepiece of this beautiful dress from Urban Revivo.

This dress is just GOR-GE-OUS! The print is the main focal pint, but the 60s silhouette with the ruffle detail elevates the whole look.

That's why I knew I had to buy it the instant that I saw it.

Blanket approval - Part trois

Mom is a huge fan of shirt dresses. That said, my next "blanket" project was a no-brainer.

Had this shirt dress made out the red version of the blanket. It's the classic silhouette, but I've added some small ruffles on the sides for added flounce. For contrast, we added a belt made from the orange fabric scraps from Ate Bullet's denim + blanket combo.

Mom wore this on her flight to Bicol. She said that there were 2 PAL flight attendants gushing over her dress the whole time.

So, aside from being Mom-approved, it's not FA-approved, too.

Getting Twiggy with it

This dress from the 2024 Pre-fall capsule collection of H&Mis giving me Twiggy vibes.

From the shift dress silhouette, to the black and white story, to the little Mod details - it's such a well-made and versatile piece. It's able to cross classic with the modern, and it's such a versatile piece.

Hopefully, they'll have this in PH stores soon.

Fashion (up)cycle

Came across a stall at The Podium that sold upcycled clothing, and this dress caught my eye.

It's a dress that's upcycled twice. The top is made from an old vest that was repurposed as the top part of the dress. The skirt is made of different types of "katsa" from bakeries. It's collected by the designer so it doesn't go to waste.

Recycling and upcycling can really be fashionable.

That’s so Fetch!

“Stop making fetch happen. It’s not gonna happen!”

But no, this isn’t a “Mean Girls” post.

It’s about the pretty denim dress from Marc Jacobs. 

Available on Far Fetch! (Wink)

Take a bow

Among the many pretty pieces in the latest collection of Plains & Prints, there was one dress was a must-buy in my book.

It’s the pretty shift dress with a full scenic print all-over, and two bows on the sleeves.

What makes it even nicer is the fact that it’s a two-fer!

The bows are removable, to give it a different vibe.

That’s the reason why this dress just had to be taken home.

The brand with 3 stripes

No, it's not Adidas.

It's Plains & Prints!

Let me explain.

Their Purple Sale started last week, and here's the first dress purchase from the sale.

This caught my eye the time it was launched a few months ago. But there were other dresses from that collection that were more covetable, and the decision was to just wait for this dress went on sale.

And it did!

The dress has an interesting print made up of 3 different types of stripes. They vary in thickness and width, and while it might seem chaotic on paper, it came out really nice and chic.

It's definitely worth the wait.

The peek of fashion

Peek-a-boo, I see you!

That seems to be what fashion is saying nowadays. There are a lot of peek-a-boo dresses that show skin. Some show slivers, while others are more daring and show a bit more.

Just like this dress from The SM Store.

Tomato red color - check!

Silky fabric - check!

Slip dress silhouette - check!

Peek-a-boo detail - check!

This is style at its peak!

Fifty and Fabulous!

The iconic DVF wrap dress is 50 years old?

Whowouldathunk?

Further proof that classic fashion is timeless.

Printed Matters: Toile order

You know me and Toile Du Jouy Prints. For me, it’s irresistible!

Just like this print:

It’s a quintessential toile print - florals. 

And this fab print is from an equally fab dress from SheIn. 

It’s no wonder I ordered it the moment I saw it.